Whaleblue
Southbound
Ha! No, there are reasons why I think this might be *my* deck. As an inveterate box swapper I’m really looking for 2022 to be my settle down year. This TT plus a belt drive, my B135-3 plus speakers TBD. We’ll see…
Steve Guttenberg sells his SME 15 for a Technics 1200G
- Thread starter vln
- Start date
Ha! No, there are reasons why I think this might be *my* deck. As an inveterate box swapper I’m really looking for 2022 to be my settle down year. This TT plus a belt drive, my B135-3 plus speakers TBD. We’ll see…
jamesd
pfm Member
It’s never said explicitly, but a lot of this gear at these price points offer fantastic performance. Why not choose something that is more enjoyable to operate daily than something else that sounds 1% or 5% better to you?
I feel the same way about gear and aesthetics. There’s plenty of great gear out there…why not choose something that looks great too, if that matters to you?
I feel the same way about gear and aesthetics. There’s plenty of great gear out there…why not choose something that looks great too, if that matters to you?
chris@panteg
pfm Member
I quite like Steve, I often watch and enjoy his reviews and thoughts, he seems to be enjoying his music and kit , that's what comes across to me.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I agree.There can come a point where the sound is good enough and the ergonomics suit. I have that great gear that performs well and doesn’t encourage neuroses or change. That’s the sweet spot.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I think SG gets an unfair press from some.He’s been in Hi-fi for a long time. He talks about high end and appreciates differences but he also promotes real world hifi that is accessible to people like me.I like his enthusiasm. You can take or leave his advice. And don’t think it would irk him too much.
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Tony L
Administrator
Ergonomics is certainly part of why I use a TD-124 and 3009. They are just a pleasure to use as the design is to such a remarkably high level.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I love the look of your TD124. I have the more modest TD166 mk 2 and it has piqued my curiosity about the rest of the range. Maybe one day.
Hi Graham, what was the issue with the Technics?
Shuggie
Trade: Ammonite Audio
I can understand that sentiment, but Technics have lately adopted completely different DD motor designs which, to these ears, have brought musical dexterity to their existing reputation for peerless speed accuracy. I do find it quite amusing that Technics' new DD motor designs do, somewhat belatedly, adopt the basic topology used for decades by Trio/Kenwood etc.
RichardAusten
pfm Member
I am not quite sure why people buy a bunch of cheaper products over one really good one. I know a fellow who buys $1,500 to $2,000 speakers - then every 8 months to 1.5 years sells it to buy another one. He did this for several years and still does - And I am thinking one really good $5,000 speaker beats all of the $1500 to $2k speakers he was buying and selling - all the losses over 10 years. So he was listening to his music collection - never really happy and he would have been far happier with the $5k speaker for those 10 years.
I have done it with a DAC - a Line Magnetic 502CA which sounds really nice in tube mode and unlistenable crap in Solid-State mode. And they didn't cheap out - each mode has a dedicated output transformer. Presumably, Chinese owners like to show their friends the difference between the modes but IMO they could have made the DAC cheaper by just offering one mode (Tube) or using better parts quality for that tube only DAC. In other words, you're paying 50% say for the SS mode you will never play other than for guests to sort of illustrating how bad SS sounds. But this could have simply been done at the dealer.
This goes back to the turntable. Rather than buying a turntable where you can put 3 tonearms on the thing - why not use the money for all three tonearms and buy One bloody awesome e tonearm that will sound better than the other three individually. Ditto for the cartridge - One really awesome $1200 cartridge will sound better than four $300 cartridges
At the end of the day, whatever improves your vinyl playback enjoyment is all that matters. I've owned turntables that did nothing for me to the point I played more CD. Since getting my Audio Note TT3 with PSU 1 over two years ago I have played maybe 2 CDs and that was just to make sure the Transport still worked.
I have done it with a DAC - a Line Magnetic 502CA which sounds really nice in tube mode and unlistenable crap in Solid-State mode. And they didn't cheap out - each mode has a dedicated output transformer. Presumably, Chinese owners like to show their friends the difference between the modes but IMO they could have made the DAC cheaper by just offering one mode (Tube) or using better parts quality for that tube only DAC. In other words, you're paying 50% say for the SS mode you will never play other than for guests to sort of illustrating how bad SS sounds. But this could have simply been done at the dealer.
This goes back to the turntable. Rather than buying a turntable where you can put 3 tonearms on the thing - why not use the money for all three tonearms and buy One bloody awesome e tonearm that will sound better than the other three individually. Ditto for the cartridge - One really awesome $1200 cartridge will sound better than four $300 cartridges
At the end of the day, whatever improves your vinyl playback enjoyment is all that matters. I've owned turntables that did nothing for me to the point I played more CD. Since getting my Audio Note TT3 with PSU 1 over two years ago I have played maybe 2 CDs and that was just to make sure the Transport still worked.
Purité Audio
Trade: Purite Audio
Measurements are the indicator of performance not price, I was hugely impressed with the first Technics ( SP10 mark II ) I owned and never returned to belt drive.
Keith
Keith
Darren L
Egalitarian
@RichardAusten evidently some folks like swapping, chopping and changing, some just like new toys, some are perhaps searching for audio Nirvana, some are on an upgrade path, some can't perhaps warrant spending thousands on a particular component, some perhaps following trends or a dealers advice, some are just inquisitive, probably a thousand different reasons why some people are always changing their system, each to their own.
I personally think when a person finds what's right for them or at least can identify their preferences then the search is over, I don't think that it's always necessary to spend more money if an individual is happy with a system costing a few hundred or few thousand pounds then there's no reason to change.
I personally think when a person finds what's right for them or at least can identify their preferences then the search is over, I don't think that it's always necessary to spend more money if an individual is happy with a system costing a few hundred or few thousand pounds then there's no reason to change.
Certainly not my experience.
Price can be used as indicator but not as a general rule.
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
What gets me is people who refuse to pay more than $1500 - $2000 for a pair of speakers, but turn around and buy a $60,000 vehicle with no apologies.
wow&flutter
pfm Member
I have watched him in the past but a comment some months ago put me off him really.
If I remember correctly said he would never own/review a pair of active speakers cause he liked to change amplifiers. It appears he’s not open even to the possibility that an active set up could be better or even a valid alternative to a passive set up.
Hardly the open mind you should expect from an audio reviewer after all he doesn’t even have to buy the equipment!
Del monaco
Del Monaco
Don’t think that’s a deal breaker really.
ArtK
Lovin’ life!
I agree. It just shows that Steve is a real guy with preferences just like everybody else. He never said that actives are not as good, he just stated his preference.
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Whaleblue
Southbound
Pondering on this today. I absolutely have chased “a sound” that has been both hard to define and achieve. I’ve mostly concentrated on speakers, in a digitally dominated system.
My current WB Arcs were bought as an experiment/stop gap, but I’ve really clicked with them.
I think the penny has also dropped that I need elegance of both operation and aesthetic over the last 1% of performance.
I think I’m likely to settle on my old high end CDPs, Sonos as an end point for Roon, plus the Technics for vinyl. Might keep a belt drive too, but really not sure until I hear the 1210 for myself.